Wild Card
by TisTheEast
Summary: sometimes a wild card is the only way to win a difficult hand


**Title: Wild Card  
  
**Author: Juliet  
  
**Summary: sometimes a wild card is the only way you can win a tough hand  
  
**Rating: PG  
  
**Disclaimer: let's put this way: if they were mine, last week's previews would be very different ;)  
  
**Author's note: Thought we all need a good cheer-up piece in preparation for this evening's episode. For those Graveyard Shift groupies who've been in the chats recently, this story is taken from a rejected plot idea for Chapter 4 of Righting the Wrongs (which should be up later today)  
  
**Thank-you's: Joe-for always listening to my rants. Gabe-for never minding when I need to randomly scribble down ideas at the strangest moments. The Graveyard Shift-this one's for you guys (may I add how groovy it is that I'm sitting in one of the lounges at school, killing time til my next exam, and as I get to our front page Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer comes on the radio as the Emmy pic downloads :D)  
  
"So how was the techonology conference Cath?" Greg asked desperate to make conversation as the DNA printout took it's own sweet time with the results of their latest case.  
  
Catherine shurgged, "It was alright, I guess."  
  
"Not too exciting then?" Greg asked.  
  
"The best part was when Grissom and I got lost on the way back, and had to stop at this tacky little roadside chapel to get directions. Then we decided 'to hell with it, we're here; let's get married,'" she replied with a wink.  
  
"You're a funny girl Catherine, has anyone ever told you that?" Greg said handing her the printout.  
  
"All the time," she answered as she breezing out the door to find Nick and Warrick. As she walked down the hall, Catherine became so engrossed in the results Greg had given her, that she didn't even noticed Conrad Ecklie coming out of his office.  
  
"Watch where you're going," Ecklie grumbled.  
  
"Sorry," Catherine said looking up. "Isn't it a bit late for you to be here?"  
  
"Well some of us didn't have the luxury of going to the conference this year so we have to research new lab equipment in our spare time," Ecklie replied.  
  
"If I had known boring three day lectures on print powder meant that much to you, you could've gone in my place," Catherine said trying not to laugh at how seriously Ecklie took everything.  
  
"If I had realized that you were using this important event as yet another chance to secude your boss," Ecklie began.  
  
"Is that what you think?" Catherine interupted narrowing her eyes. "My god Conrad, how long many years do I have to be here before you begin to actually take me seriously?"  
  
"You can take the cat out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the cat," Conrad replied.  
  
"That's really cute and all, but do us all a favor and go to hell," Catherine snapped stomping off towards her office.  
  
*************  
  
A few hours later  
  
"Hey Cath, Nick, come check this out," Greg said poking his head into one of the labs.  
  
Catherine and Nick followed Greg to the breakroom where Warrick and Sara were already sipping coffee.  
  
"What's going on?" Catherine asked seeing the obviously dull happenings.  
  
"Shhh," Sara hissed. "Gris and Ecklie are getting into it big time."  
  
The group fell silent as they could hear Grissom and Ecklie shouting at each other from Grissom's office two doors down.  
  
"Who I choose to accompany me to the conference is my choice, leave her out of this," Grissom said.  
  
"You know what guys, I think I'm going to be the mature one and head back to my office now," Catherine said realizing they were arguing about her.  
  
Before she could get to the door however, Ecklie exclaimed, "And what gives you the right to go around defending her all the time?"  
  
"She's my wife, I think that's a dammned good enough authority don't you now?" Grissom replied.  
  
The rest of the team turned to stare at Catheine, jaws dropped in shock, but she had already dashed out of the breakroom.  
  
"Oh my god," Greg said finally. "She wasn't kidding about them getting hitched at that little chapel."  
  
THE END 


End file.
